Vassar Gets the Gold for Getting Out the Vote
Getting out the vote at a college located in three separate election districts and whose students come from virtually every state in the union poses plenty of challenges. But Vassar met those challenges head-on in 2020, mobilizing a small army of volunteers, called VassarVotes, that enabled 87 percent of its registered voters—and 79 percent of all students—to cast their ballots.
Vassar has been rewarded for that effort, earning a Gold Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nonpartisan student voter participation initiative created by the national activist organization Civic Nation.
Grace Adams Ward ’24
John Bradley, Director of Vassar Education Collaboration and a member of VassarVotes, said he and others who worked to get students to the polls were grateful to receive the award. “This effort started more informally a few years ago, but we really ramped up our efforts in 2020, and a lot of people on campus were responsible for our success,” Bradley said.
Jean Hinkley, Assistant Director of the Office of Community-Engaged Learning and a coordinator of VassarVotes, also called the College’s success a true team effort. Hinkley and her team recruited and trained Voter Advisors in every campus residence to assist students who ran into roadblocks when registering locally or securing absentee ballots. “Some of my notable collaborators were John Bradley and students Sonia Santos ’21 and Cassie Cauwels ’22, Keri Van Camp of the Vassar Ecological Preserve and Jen Rubbo of the Environmental Cooperative for helping to clear the trails for those walking to the polls, as well as members of Safety and Security for providing shuttle service,” Hinkley said. “So many people on campus were willing to take on extra work to make this a success, so getting this award feels good to all of us.”
One student who faced a major challenge, Katerina Shykind ’22, an urban studies major from New York City, said Bradley and others at VassarVotes had come to her rescue when it appeared she would not be able to vote. “I applied for an absentee ballot, but it arrived with my Vassar address instead of my home address, and I wasn’t registered in Poughkeepsie,” Shykind explained. “I reached out to VassarVotes, and they dug into what had happened.”
Vassar students were prohibited from leaving campus except to vote locally, but VassarVotes secured permission for Shykind to go to her polling place in New York City to cast her ballot. She said her father picked her up and drove her back to the campus to ensure she was not exposed to COVID-19 on public transportation.
Shykind said she was pleased to learn that VassarVotes had been recognized for its efforts to get her and her fellow students to the polls. “There was no way I wasn’t going to vote, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped me,” she said.